Victoria Summer Music Festival

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Victoria Summer Music Festival is set to present a series of first-rate chamber music concerts featuring the Poeisis Quartet, First Prize winners at the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition, and Élisabeth Pion, Gold Laureate of the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition. Other highlights of this year’s Festival include a concert by prominent violinist James Ehnes, making the Victoria stop on his 50th birthday cross-Canada tour, joined by long-time collaborator Andrew Armstrong at the piano.

VSMF runs from July 24 through August 9, with concerts taking place in the superb acoustic of UVic’s Phillip T. Young Recital Hall. Pre-concert talks begin 30 minutes before each concert.

Fri, Jul 24, 7:30 pm
Poiesis Quartet
Music by: Lasagna, Shawler, Scott, Lanzilotti, Queen Lili’uokalani (arr. Padilla), Beethoven

Sun, Jul 26, 2:30 pm matinee
Poiesis Quartet and Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (viola)
Music by: Lang, Wiancko, Lambright, Coleridge-Taylor

Tue, Jul 28, 7:30 pm
David Boutin-Bourque (clarinet), Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (viola), and Arthur Rowe (piano)
Music by: Vieuxtemps, Bruch, Clarke, Brahms

Sat, Aug 1, 1:30 pm matinee***note day and time!***
James Ehnes (violin) and Andrew Armstrong (piano)
Music by: Sinding, Brahms, Braden, Bartók

Wed, Aug 5, 7:30 pm
Élisabeth Pion (piano)
Music by: De Montgeroult, Brahms, Schubert/Liszt, Albeniz, Pion, Ravel

Sun, Aug 9, 2:30 pm matinee
David Lakirovich (violin), Desmond Hoebig (cello), and Arthur Rowe (piano)
Music by: Beethoven, Debussy, Schubert